Gas station sits unopened without needed permit

The future is uncertain for this Murphy Oil gasoline station across from the Walmart at the corner of West Hewett Road in Santa Rosa Beach.

DEVON RAVINE / Daily News

By TOM McLAUGHLIN / Daily News

Published: Wednesday, December 11, 2013 at 05:04 PM.

SANTA ROSA BEACH — The shiny new service station at the corner of U.S. Highway 98 and West Hewett Road advertises gas for $9.99.99 a gallon.

That eye-popping price is the first thing passers-by notice. The second is that the station is empty and unopened, and has been for some time.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers issued a cease and desist order Sept. 24, and any plans Murphy Oil USA Inc. had for opening its newest station in South Walton County have been postponed indefinitely.

Now company officials must wait until the Environmental Protection Agency metes out whatever punishment it deems appropriate for building the station without a required dredge and fill permit from the Corps.

“The facility will remain closed until enforcement action has been taken,” said Terry Wells, an enforcement spokesman for the Corps of Engineers. “EPA has taken over formal enforcement of the case.”

The county granted Murphy Oil permission to build the Murphy Express station Feb. 22.

According to the signed final order, that permission was contingent on the company obtaining dredge and fill permits from the Corps, Florida’s Department of Environmental Protection and the Northwest Florida Water Management District.

DEP isn’t involved in dredge and fill permitting, and Murphy Oil received a permit from the Water Management District. It also applied for one from the Corps of Engineers, Wells said.

“There was some correspondence and our folks went out to do a site verification inspection (Sept.11),” Wells said. “The inspector found the service station had been built without authorization.”

The EPA’s Chris Parker is in charge of determining what enforcement action should be taken.

Parker did not return phone calls, but Wells said the action could mean a penalty, additional wetlands mitigation at the site or “minimalization” of the station’s construction footprint.

Murphy Oil declined comment.

“We do not normally make comments to the media about our stations,” company spokeswoman Lindsey Kenebeck said.

SANTA ROSA BEACH — The shiny new service station at the corner of U.S. Highway 98 and West Hewett Road advertises gas for $9.99.99 a gallon.

That eye-popping price is the first thing passers-by notice. The second is that the station is empty and unopened, and has been for some time.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers issued a cease and desist order Sept. 24, and any plans Murphy Oil USA Inc. had for opening its newest station in South Walton County have been postponed indefinitely.

Now company officials must wait until the Environmental Protection Agency metes out whatever punishment it deems appropriate for building the station without a required dredge and fill permit from the Corps.

“The facility will remain closed until enforcement action has been taken,” said Terry Wells, an enforcement spokesman for the Corps of Engineers. “EPA has taken over formal enforcement of the case.”

The county granted Murphy Oil permission to build the Murphy Express station Feb. 22.

According to the signed final order, that permission was contingent on the company obtaining dredge and fill permits from the Corps, Florida’s Department of Environmental Protection and the Northwest Florida Water Management District.

DEP isn’t involved in dredge and fill permitting, and Murphy Oil received a permit from the Water Management District. It also applied for one from the Corps of Engineers, Wells said.

“There was some correspondence and our folks went out to do a site verification inspection (Sept.11),” Wells said. “The inspector found the service station had been built without authorization.”

The EPA’s Chris Parker is in charge of determining what enforcement action should be taken.

Parker did not return phone calls, but Wells said the action could mean a penalty, additional wetlands mitigation at the site or “minimalization” of the station’s construction footprint.

Murphy Oil declined comment.

“We do not normally make comments to the media about our stations,” company spokeswoman Lindsey Kenebeck said.